EC makes €24.2M available to the development of electromobility in Europe

31 March 2011

Green e-Motion electromobility projects. Click to enlarge.

The European Commission will support a cross-European electromobility initiative, Green eMotion, worth €41.8 million (US$68.2 million), in partnership with 42 partners from the industries, utilities, electric car manufacturers, municipalities, universities and technology and research institutions. The project will cover different types of electric vehicles, the development of Smart Grids, innovative Information and Communication Technologies solutions, and urban mobility concepts.

The aim of the initiative is to exchange and develop know-how and experience in selected regions within Europe as well as facilitate the market roll-out of electric vehicles in Europe. The Commission will make €24.2 million (US$34.3 million) available to finance part of the initiative’s activities.

Transport is current 96% dependent on oil for its energy needs. This is totally unsustainable. The Transport 2050 Roadmap [earlier post] aims to break transport’s current oil dependency and allow mobility to grow. We can and we must do both. It can be win-win. But there are major challenges. Transport 2050 calls for a reduction of CO2 from transport of at least 60% by 2050. At the heart of this strategy is a major shift in cities to the electric vehicles away from cars with conventionally fuelled engines.

The level of EU financial support for this e-motion project shows just how serious we are at EU level about achieving these goals. This is a project tackles some of the practical problems and real bottlenecks for cities and companies who want to bring electric vehicles to the market. It is exactly the kind of initiative where European co-operation adds huge value. This is a very promising initiative for the future.

—Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport

The Transport 2050 plan aims to half the number of conventionally-fuelled (non-hybrid) cars in cities by 2030 and phase them out by 2050.

The four year long project Green e motion is part of the European Green Cars Initiative, and will be funded under the Seventh Research and Development Framework Programme in order to:

compare the twelve ongoing regional and national electromobility initiatives in eight different EU Member States;

compare the different technology approaches; and

contribute to the identification of the best solutions for the European market.

An interoperable platform will be created to enable the different actors to interact and to allow for new high-value transportation services and innovative billing systems. It is intended to contribute to the improvement and development of new and existing standards for electromobility. Green eMotion will demonstrate this interoperable electromobility framework in all participating regions and will thus provide the basis for its replication across Europe.